CM- Year Three
by Artemis Castellan
Summary: Carina Malfoy is a big disappointment to her father after being Sorted into Ravenclaw three years ago. So, what happens when she ends up in the Triwizard Tournament? Plenty of OCs R&R
1. I have Really Bad Luck

**Author' Note: I don't own any of the characters except Carina. In this version, Cedric does not exist.**

Chapter One- I have Terrible Luck

"The Durmstrang Champion is Viktor Krum!" Dumbledore says. Krum stands up from the group of Durmstrang students at the Slytherin table, and walks into the champions room. "From Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour." The blonde girl stands up from the seat next to me. "From Hogwarts, Carina Malfoy." My face drops as whispers start turning to shouts from the Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor tables. "Go on." Emily whispers. "That's you, in case you forgot."

I walk over into the champions room. "What's going on?" Krum asks. They think I'm a messenger. "I'm the Hogwarts champion." I shrug, trying to act calm. Harry Potter walks in. "What is it?" Fleur asks. The professors follow him in. "Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore asks. Harry shakes his head. "Carina, did you?" He asks me. "No, why would I do that?" I reply coolly. "They simply cannot compete!" Madam Maxime exclaims. "The rules are absolute. Harry Potter and Carina Malfoy must compete." Barty Crouch says. He turns to us. "The first task will take place November 24th in the afternoon. You are not allowed to accept help, or ask for help." I have a distinct feeling that this is not going to be a good year.


	2. Draco Becomes the World

Chapter Two- Draco Becomes the World's Biggest Idiot

"Dragons!?" I hiss to Harry. "Yes, dragons. One for each of us. We've got to get past them." He explains. "Thanks for telling me." I say. An awkward pause follows. Harry and I have loathed each other on beliefs since we met, combining with the fact that my brother hates him. I like to think that if not for that, I would have been friends with him, and Ginny Weasley. Dragons! And the first task is in two days! How am I supposed to get past a dragon?

Halfway to Potions, Emily runs up behind me. "What did Harry want?" She asks. "To tell me the first task." I shrug. "And?" Emily says excitedly. "Dragons." I whisper. Emily's jaw drops. "Dragons?" She squeals. "Keep your voice down, will you?" I say. "Sorry. But, dragons? How do they expect you to get past dragons?" She asks. "Beats me." I shrug. "I'll think of something."

By now, we've reached the Potions dungeon. "Let's talk later. I got an idea." Emily says, nodding towards the other Ravenclaws and Slytherins queuing up. A Slytherin named Rainy walks up to me. "Draco says to give you this. Figures you haven't read it yet." She says, smirking. I take the newspaper out of her hand. My name blares out from the front page.

Carina Malfoy: Too Young to Compete?

The thirteen-year-old who somehow sneaked past Albus Dumbledore's Age Line speaks to Rita Skeeter about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.

Ever since the shocking incident in which two underage Hogwarts students ended up Triwizard Champions, witches and wizards all over have been discussing how it happened. Most wizards will agree that she and fellow champion, the famous Harry Potter, simply asked an older student to submit their names. Says Gemma Dramane, a Ministry witch, "It would have been only to simple to have another student submit their names. Dumbledore should have thought of that."

Another wizard, who does not wish to be named says. "They should not be allowed to compete. Simple as that. They are too young, and the tournament is designed for more advanced witches and wizards, not teenagers."

When I spoke with Carina, she claimed she did, in fact, have an older student place her name in the Goblet of Fire, although she would not say who. I asked her for an opinion on the statements that she and Potter are too young to compete, to which she responded, "Anyone who believes themselves able to compete." Her parents have denied comment, but I spoke to Carina's older brother, Draco. He says "I'm not surprised Carina managed to get her name in the Goblet. If I didn't know for a fact that the Age Line prevented under seventeens, I would have guessed Carina had Michael Corner. put her name in the Goblet. She's never apart from Corner or Fawley." When asked on how he thinks she will do in the tournament, he replied, "I think she'll do decently. Carina's good at hexes. I've been on the receiving end of a few. I don't think she has any chance of getting past the second task."

"What?" I shriek. "I never said any of that! And of course I'll make it past the second task! I have to, don't I? And I'm not always with Hayes and Michael, am I?" "Calm down, Carina. And to answer your question, you usually are with one of them." Emily says. "Draco is the world's biggest prat ever!" I shriek. Unfortunately, Snape walks out of the Potions classroom. "That will be ten points from Ravenclaw, I think, and I would advise you to quiet down, Miss Malfoy, the whole school can hear you." He says swiftly.

The normally dragging Potions class seems to drag out even longer than usual. Ravenclaw loses twenty more points, the first ten due to Luna's "incessant talking about useless, imaginary creatures" (to quote Snape), the other ten due to Snape overhearing Emily and I planning how to best jinx Draco.

"We could try to fill his head with Wrackspurts." Luna says, losing us the first ten points. "No, I don't think that will work." I say. "Well, what if you send him a note asking to meet on the Quidditch pitch, and then get him with one of your 'excellent hexes'" Emily suggests. "You will do no such thing. 10 points from Ravenclaw, and get back to work, Miss Pearl." Snape snaps. The Slytherins across the room snicker. Emily makes a face and returns to her potion. The thought of a dragon has been completely erased from my mind.

Between classes, I write a note to Draco, telling him to meet me in the empty third floor classroom after dinner, racing to try and catch a Slytherin to pass on my note with Emily. We're both panting by the time we reach Charms, a minute late. Professor Flitwick pretends not to notice. That's the good thing about Flitwick. He favors Ravenclaws, but not to the degree Snape favors Slytherins. Flitwick will ignore if Ravenclaws are a few minutes late, and sometimes gives out favors if you're having a tough time. Which gives me an idea.

Since lunch is next, and you can't exactly be late for lunch, while we work on Basic spells, I whisper to Emily, "I need to ask Professor Moody something. Will you come with me?" She nods in reply, and we both go back to spells.

After class, we knock on Professor Moody's door. He opens it slightly. "Oh, it's just you. Go away, I don't speak to Death Eater kids." He says. "Wait." I say. "Can I ask a question?" Moody opens the door more. "Alright. One question. Miss Pearl, leave us." He says. Emily sighs and walks off. "See you at lunch."

"What do you want?" He snaps. "Flame-Freezing Charms. How do I do them?" I say. "And why should I help you? If there's anything I hate, it's a Death Eater who walked free." He growls. I throw off his remark. "Flame-Freezing Charms. Tell me how to do them, or you might just have to deal with my father, and trust me, that's not something you want."

"You've got no chance of learning a Flame-Freezing Charm in time for the first task." He says gruffly. I pause, taken aback. "Yes, I know about the dragons." He snaps. "And I'll help you. What are your strengths?" He asks.

"Well, I'm fast. I can duel well, I can fly great, and I'm Pureblood." I say. "First of all, being Pureblood is not a strength. Second of all, focus on the fact that you're fast, and small. The smaller the target, and faster, the harder it is to hit." Moody says. I sniff. "So you're telling me to run around?" I sneer, throwing my long braid over my shoulder. "That'll get me nowhere but burnt!"

"Do you want help, or not?" Moody snaps. "Fine. So, run around." I resign. "No. Just keep moving. Don't stay in the same place for too long. Know your opponent's weak spots. Now, I think Miss Pearl will be waiting for you at lunch." He says, kicking me out of his office. "Hmph!" I huff. "Some help!"

On the way to lunch, I run into Draco. "Got your note. Did you really think I was that stupid, Carina?" He smirks. "Get out of my way, Draco." I say in a bored voice. "Did you like my article?" He asks. "No, I really didn't. Now get out of my way!" I snap. "Oh, touchie. And if I don't move, what are you going to do? Tell Mother?" He says lazily. I hit him with a Bat Bogey Hex. "You did say I was good at hexes." I say, running off.

"So?" Emily asks expectantly. "What did he say?" "Told me to move around, and know weaknesses, whatever that means." I roll my eyes. "Maybe he means you should learn a dragon's weak spots?" Luna suggests dreamily, walking over to us. "I'm sure there's plenty of library books on that." Emily says. "Library books on what?" Sasha asks, walking up with Fiona. "First task. It's dragons." I say in a low voice. "Ohh, what kind?" Asks Fiona, who has always been interested in magical creatures the most out of us all. "Dunno. Harry said there were two Horntails, though. In other news, I don't think I have to worry about Draco anymore." I say brightly, launching into the tale of our meeting in the corridor.

"Look, it says here that Horntails have a weak spot on the underside of their bellies." Emily says, as she, Fiona, Sasha, and I pore over library books. Luna went back up to the dormitory, muttering something about Nargles-infested books. "And how am I supposed to get to the belly in the first place?" I snap. "Dunno. But it's a start." She shrugs. "They've got a weak spot behind the ears." Fiona says. "Now that's helpful." I say, with a pointed look at Emily. "I guess you should just try and avoid the tail. And this is only if you get the Horntail, you know." Sasha points out. I sigh. "Judging by the events so far, I'm pretty much destined for the Horntail."

I'm standing in a tent with the other three champions. Fleur has the Swedish Short-Snout, and Krum has the Chinese Fireball. I reach into the bag, and grab out the Horntail. "Merlin's Beard." I murmur. Harry pulls out the Welsh Green. "These represent very real counterparts that have each been given a golden egg to protect. Your job is to retrieve the egg, for you cannot hope to move on without it. Now, at the sound of the cannon, Miss Delacour will face her dragon, followed by Mr. Krum, and Mr. Potter. Miss Malfoy, you will be going last." Barry Crouch says. I hear a cannon, and Fleur walks out of the tent.

Fifteen minutes later, a cannon signals my turn. I take a deep breath and walk into the rock enclosure, seeing bright signs reading SUPPORT CARINA MALFOY, THE TRUE HOGWARTS CHAMPION in the audience. The Horntail is in the other side of the enclosure, and staring me down. "Go for the belly or the ears." I mutter, and begin running wand not even out.

The Horntail turns and starts flying towards me. I duck behind a rock, narrowly avoiding a blast of fire. The egg lies more in the open now. I dash towards it as fast as possible, only to find my path blocked by an angry dragon. Luckily, I'm smaller than its legs, so I run underneath it, knowing the dragon won't attack itself. "Stupefy!" I yell, whipping out my wand and pointing it at the dragon's underside. It makes a loud called pain, but my spell has done nothing else, except alert the dragon to my position.

I catch a glint of gold out of the corner of my eye, and run to it, missing dragon fire by inches as I emerge from under it. I reach out, grabbing the egg, as dragon fire singes one of my fingers. I shriek in pain, pulling the egg closer. The dragon, who was extremely preoccupied with setting me on fire, notices that the golden egg is gone. I am halfway across the enclosure by now. "Protego!" I exclaim, hoping my Shield Charm is strong enough to hold back dragon fire long enough for me to run.

The dragon fire hits the shield and spreads out in a fan shape around it. I reach the edge of the enclosure, and am instantly taken aside by Madam Pomfrey, who starts putting some sort of gel on my burn. "You'll get your score in a second." She promises, wrapping up my finger. "And the score for Carina Malfoy is..." Ludo Bagman calls. Madam Maxime holds up a 9. Dumbledore holds up a 10. Barty Crouch holds up a 7. "Seven!" I exclaim angrily. "I hardly even needed magic!" Finally, Karkaroff holds up a 5. I hear boos from the Hogwarts section. "And so the standings are as follows, Harry Potter and Viktor Krum are tied for first. Carina Malfoy is in second place, leaving Fleur Delacour in third." Bagman says. The boos turn to cheers.

Later that night, the Ravenclaws have a party in the common room. Someone breaks out the firewhiskey, handing me a glass. We're still up cheering at one in the morning when the door asks a question. We all race back to our dormitories. The best thing about Ravenclaw parties is that we have a system of getting everyone up in time, so we've never been caught. I can hear Flitwick walking into the common room, once again confused by the lack of people. Once he leaves, the party starts.

"Open it!" Michael Corner shouts. "You sure?" I ask. "Yeah!" Everyone shouts at once. I twist open the top, and a screeching sound comes out. "Close it, close it!" Cho Chang shouts. I slam it shut, and the room lets out a collective sigh. "What kind of clue is that?" Jacob Harley exclaims. Flitwick burst back in suddenly."50 points from Ravenclaw! I thought you would have more sense than to be up this late!" He squeaks. "Everyone, off to bed!" "Seriously?" Jayden Damon grumbles. "Yes, seriously, Damon. You have classes tomorrow!" Flitwick says.


	3. I Have to Find a Date

Chapter Three- I Have to Find a Date

The next morning, I drag myself out of bed. All the Ravenclaws are dragging themselves down to breakfast. "Hey, how's it feel to be caught for once?" One of the Slytherins jeers as we walk into the Great Hall. "Welcome to the We-Got-Our-Party-Crashed-By-Professors Club." One of the Hufflepuffs shrugs. Owls flood into the hall, my own snowy owl dropping a large package in front of me. "Good girl." I say, stroking her feathers.

The letter attached to the package is from Mum. I am about to open it when Fiona says, "Open it!" I pull off a corner of the package and gasp. "Dormitory as soon as possible." I say, going back to the letter. "Open it now!" Emily pleads. "I don't want to get them dirty." I say. "Get what dirty?" Luna asks, not even remotely tired. She didn't stay up all night. "Mum sent me dress robes, and quite beautiful ones too." I say. "Really?" Sasha squeals. "Why, though?" I ask. "Open the letter. Maybe that will tell you?" Emily suggests. I open the letter.

Carina-

Congratulations on getting past the first task. That was a brilliant bit of thinking, but next time, do try something less risky, please? I'd like to have my daughter back next summer.

I saw Rita Skeeter's article, and I just want you to know that neither your father nor I believe you said any of those things. I've already written to Draco about it.

I hope you like these dress robes. I think it will make sense soon enough why I sent them. Also, your father would like me to tell you (again) that you need to drop Muggle Studies, and I, in part, agree. There is no point in filling you brilliant mind with useless facts about Muggles.

Love,

Mum

I sigh. I've learned to stop expecting letters from my father. He considers me something of an extreme disappointment, being in Ravenclaw. Taking Muggle Studies added to it. I personally find it odd how Muggles survive without magic.

"Hey, we're going to crash a party this weekend, any ideas?" Jayden walks up. "Slytherin has a party every weekend." I say. "We could sneak down there, then steal the firewhiskey." "Yeah that's good. Who's good at Disillusionment Charms? We could use those." He says. "Cassandra, from sixth year is. And Karyn. Ask them for help." I say. "Thanks." He says. "And." I add. "You are not to go crashing Slytherin parties without me. I still need payback on Draco." He nods. "Sure. I'll tell you when."

Everyone whisks off to class. I barely make it to Charms in time after dropping the package off. "Miss Malfoy, could I speak to you?" Flitwick squeaks. I walk over to him. "It is something of a Triwizard tournament tradition, the Yule Ball. I trust you already know about this?" He asks. "No, sir." I say. Flitwick looks shocked. "The Yule Ball is a dance. It's usually open to only fourth year and up, but we've had to make an exception for you this year, as it's traditional for the Triwizard champions to open the dance." He explains. "So, you mean, I have to find someone to bring?" I ask, horrified. "Yes." He says. "The Yule Ball will take place Christmas evening. I trust you can find someone by then?" I nod, and return to class.

"What did Flitwick want?" Emily instantly asks. I explain about the Yule Ball. "Ooh, lucky! Come on, we've got to try on those robes. Who are you going to ask?" She squeals. "I haven't really thought about it." I say. "That's no problem, you just took on a dragon. Why not ask Jayden? You seem interested in him." She says. I make a face. "Pranking Slytherin is one thing. And besides, why would I ask out a Mudblood like him?" I say. Emily sighs. "Alright then. What about Michael?" I sigh. "I'll ask."

I don't run into Michael though. Instead, I find myself face to face with one of my best friends, Terry Boot. "Terry, hey." I say, picking up my scattered books from when I crashed into him. "Hey, I was wondering, and well, um... Do you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?" He asks. I freeze. This saves problems, and creates more. "I'm really sorry, but I can't." I reply. Terry looks hurt. "Has someone else asked you already?" He asks. "No, it's just that, well, you're a halfblood, and I can't be with a halfblood, at least, not by what my parents say." I say. "It's not that I don't like you, Terry. You're my best friend." "That's what you have Emily for. She's a halfblood, too, and you guys are best friends! And since when do you care what your father thinks? You're taking Muggle Studies!" Terry snaps, his voice suddenly cold. "I care what my mother thinks, and she says Purebloods only. Being friends is one thing, Terry." I say, my voice as icy as Terry's. "Fine." Terry says, calming down. "Fine. I guess I'll see you around then." He says stiffly. "Fine." I snap. Once he turns the corridor, I burst into tears.

"What happened to you?" Lavender Brown asks, coming around the same corner. "Terry's just gone off angry, and refusing to talk." "That's none of your business!" I say. "Ooh, were you two together?" Parvati, who has appeared at her side. "No, of course not!" I exclaim, trying to back out of the hall. "If you say so." Parvati and Lavender's laughter follows me around the corner.


	4. Aunt Bella Escapes From Azkaban

Chapter Four- Aunt Bella Escapes From Azkaban

"Turn." Emily commands. I spin around in the spot, long dress robes swirling around me. "You look stunning." She says, and it's true. The dress robes Mum sent me are long blue robes that sparkle around the edges, especially when I spin. "Remind me to write to Mum tomorrow, and tell her how wonderful these are." I request, changing back into my regular robes, and heading back into the common room, where Jayden, Michael, Jacob, Hayes, Terry, and a few girls are crowded around a piece of parchment.

"Hey, Carina, we've got a plan." Jayden calls me over. "What is it?" I ask. "Well, we have information that Slytherin is having a party tonight." Karyn starts. "And I found out the password is 'Sacred Twenty-Eight'" Cassandra adds, making a face. "So tonight, several of the older students are helping us by putting Disillusionment Charms on us younger ones until we get into the common room, then bam! Crash the party quickly, put the charms back on, and run for it." Jayden says. Hayes looks at him pointedly. "Oh yeah, almost forgot, Hayes has something planned." Jayden adds. "I'm going to set off a bunch of Filibuster fireworks from Zonko's in their common room. If this isn't the best prank of the year, I don't know what is." He says, grinning.

"That's way too simple. Too many places to get caught, or fail." I point out. "That's just the gist of it. The real plan is much more detailed." Karyn says. "Well? What is it? Don't keep me waiting, I've got a Transfiguration essay due tomorrow." I say. Karyn looks at Cassandra. "You want to tell her?" She says. Cassandra shrugs. "Sure." "Tell me what?" I ask. "We're going to need your cooperation to pull this off, Carina." She says. "Pull what off?" I say, starting to get suspicious.

"Well, you know how some of the teachers say that you're very similar to Bellatrix Lestrange?" Cassandra asks. I nod. "Yeah, she's my aunt." "Well, we were hoping that we could disguise you as Bellatrix so when we go into the common room, Bellatrix Lestrange will appear out of nowhere. If that doesn't confuse them, nothing will." She says. "Let's do it. What's the rest of the plan?" I agree.

"Well, at eleven forty five tonight, we're going to get everyone ready here in the common room. Then, at twelve, we'll sneak down to Slytherin, where Victoria is still spying, just in case the password changes. We should be inside Slytherin by 12:15 or so. Then, Cassandra's going to steal all the firewhiskey, and get out, while the rest of us remove the Disillusionment Charms, and see what happens from there. That's where you come in. At about 12:30 (hoping it lasts that long), Hayes will set off the fireworks. Then, the Disillusionment Charms go on under cover of the fireworks, and we sneak back out. Slytherin will be expecting us to go back to Ravenclaw Tower, so we're going to head towards the library instead. Sound good?" Jayden explains "Great, but how many people are going?" I ask. Jayden shrugs. "Let's see." He turns to the rest of the common room, and says, "Hey, who wants to go crashing a Slytherin party tonight?" He counts the number of hands. "15 people, plus us seven and Victoria so that makes 23 people." He says. I roll my eyes. "I do know how to count, Mudblood!" "Okay, okay. Hey come over here!" He calls to the volunteers. The fifteen kids walk over. Emily, Fiona, and Sasha aren't coming.

"Okay, so how many of us can do a decent Disillusionment Charm?" He asks. About 12 kids raise their hands. "Good, keep your hands up. Now, if you can't do Disillusionment Charms, team up with someone who can. Karyn, you're with Carina. Cassandra, you're by yourself." Jayden orders. Slowly kids move around. After about five minutes, these are the pairs:

Cassandra (G6)

Jess Artwell (G4)/ Michael (B4)

Me/ Karyn (G7)

Hayes (B4)/ Fauvion Dannek (B5)

Jacob (B3)/ Sarah Cortwell (G6)

Jayden (B4)/ Victoria (who's still spying) (G7)

Anny Wright (G2) / Terry Boot (B4)

Wendy Park (G5) / Ponia Shafiq (G7)

Rick Olsen (B1)/ Danni Park (G5)

Shay Felt (G3)/ Dana Felt (G5)

Laurel Park (G1)/ Shannon Boot (G7)

Kiran Wright (B3)/ Shai Dannek (G7)

"Good. Let's meet tonight here at 11:30. Remember your partners, and we'll explain more later." Jayden says with a nod of approval. "Cassandra, can you go take over for Victoria?" Karyn asks. "I'll make sure our charms work." Cassandra nods and walks out of the common room. "You'll need to pull off a Bellatrix attitude." Karyn turns to me as we walk up to my her dormitory. "Who do you think you are, giving me orders like that, filthy halfblood?" I snap, looking at her. Karyn smiles. "Perfect." "I should think so!" I exclaim. Karyn gives me a sideways look, opening her trunk and pulling out a picture. "This is the last photo of Bellatrix before Azkaban." She says, handing me the picture, which I've seen before. Mum has the same photo. "How is it that you look like her?" Karyn asks. I pull a face, the same one Bellatrix is making in the photo. "Yep, now I see it." Karyn says. "Other than that, everyone says I'm pretty much the exact same as my mother." I say. "Well, Mum says I got the Black family laugh, too, but I wouldn't know. So, how are you going to make me look like her?"

Karyn reaches for her wand. "A few charms. Change the hair color, modify an old dress of mine to fit. And here. I Transfigured these already." She hands me a pair of black boots that lace all the way up to my knees. "And if they go wrong?" I ask, slightly nervous. "We'll just go see Madam Pomfrey." Karyn says, sticking a bobby pin in her mouth. "Yeah, how's that going to go? 'Hey, Madam Pomfrey, we need you to undo a few Charms because we were trying to turn Carina into Bellatrix Lestrange so we could go crash a Slytherin party.' Slytherin would never let us hear the end of it!" I say sarcastically. Karyn smiles, and hands me a bobby pin, taking the first one out of her mouth. "Ready?" She asks. I nod. Karyn waves her wand, and I look in the mirror, seeing only the frizzy black hair of my aunt. "Of course Polyjuice Potion would have been more useful, except that takes forever to make, and Snape would kill us if we so much as looked at his private stores." Karyn is saying, securing my hair back with bobby pins until it closely resembles Bellatrix's hair in the picture.

Something alarming occurs to me. "Eyes!" I exclaim, slapping my hand to my forehead. "What? What eyes?" Karyn asks. "Aunt Bella has brown eyes. Draco will know it's me instantly, as will most of the Slytherins! They've all seen pictures, haven't they?" I explain. "Jayden already thought of that." Karyn says, handing me a little case. "Put these in your eyes. They're colored contacts. Jayden says Muggle girls wear them all the time." I make a face. "I'm not wearing these filthy Muggle accessories. And how would he know what filthy Muggle girls wear?" "I'm not going to ask, and yes, you are going to wear them. They're actually quite comfortable; I've worn them before." Karyn says. "I can't wear them! Father's already mad that I'm taking Muggle Studies! If I wear a Muggle item, I'll probably find myself kicked out of home!" I exclaim, hysteria rising in my voice. Karyn looks sympathetic. "That's why no one will know. Ever." "Fine." I say. "How am I supposed to put these on?"

"Don't worry, I'll help." She puts the contacts in. "Here, put these on." Karyn hands me a robe, closely resembling Bellatrix's. I put it on, and lace up the boots. Victoria, who has come back from spying, walks in, and does a double take. "What are you looking at, Mudblood?" I snap, tossing my hair over my shoulder, not joking this time. "Yep, no one will know it's you, Carina. Except for the fact that you didn't try to kill me." Victoria smiles. "By the way, you might want to consider dinner. It starts in about five minutes,and we don't want to tip Slytherin off." Karyn quickly removes all the spells, and bobby pins. I change back into my Ravenclaw robes, and race to find Emily. "How'd it go?" She whispers. "Perfect. No one will suspect anything." I say, walking out of the common room.


	5. A Very Snakey Party

Chapter Five- A Very Snakey Party

"Right, Carina, are you ready?" Jayden asks. I nod, a piece of black hair flying into my eyes. "Good. Remember the plan, and stick to it like glue. I spent all afternoon devising a plan worthy of Fred and George Weasley. Disillusionment Charms on, and be careful of each other's toes!" Jayden orders. "I can't believe I'm taking orders from a Mudblood, and wearing Muggle thingys on my eyes. Karyn figured out how to remove the charm without taking off all the other enchantments.

While we're walking down to Slytherin, I quickly let myself into some of the Ravenclaws' minds. "If this doesn't work, we're worse than dead." Jayden is thinking. Terry is mulling over our dispute earlier. I quickly stop looking into minds.

"Cassandra, is the password the same?" Jayden whispers into thin air. "Yes. Sacred Twenty Eight." She says. A wall opens up, and we file into the Slytherin common room, which I recognize from Draco's descriptions. Green light shines dimly onto the gathered Slytherins, half of whom are drunk, the others to focused on each other to notice people walking into the common room.

I notice a few bottles floating through the air and out the door. "Now." I whisper to Karyn. She whispers something, and I can see myself again. "Well, well, well." I say, trying to disguise my voice as best as possible. A few Slytherins turn, look at me, and gape. "That's Bellatrix Lestrange!" One of them exclaims. This gets more attention. "Aren't you supposed to be in Azkaban?" One asks. "'Aren't you supposed to be Azkaban?'" I mimick. "The Dark Lord is rising, and I will be at his side when he does!" I exclaim. "Get Snape." I see Flint murmur to a first year, who runs out the door.I hear Jayden swear loudly. "What was that?" Montague asks. "Twelve years. That's how long I've endured dementors." I snap, continuing in. "I was loyal to the Dark Lord. He will reward me. The same loyalty cannot be said of some of your parents, and Snape." I contort my face, trying not to laugh? Some of the Slytherins look absolutely petrified. "Twelve years!" I shout, trying to act as mad as possible. "Only these fools were loyal enough to help me get into the castle!" I gesture to the Ravenclaws, who, much to the Slytherins shock, seem to appear out of nowhere. "We didn't know! Please don't hurt us!" A Slytherin shrieks. "Wait a second." Draco says, stepping forward. I can feel panic rising in my chest. "What's wrong with your face?" He asks. I narrow my eyes. He's had a few firewhiskeys. Mum is so going to hear about this.

"Your father was weak." I spit. "I hope you have more stomach than him!" "He's coming!" A Ravenclaw exclaims, a second too late. Snape walks in. "What is this, Bellatrix?" He asks. I open my mouth to answer, but am interrupted as Hayes runs in front of me. "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" He asks. Snape looks extremely confused. "Of course!" I exclaim. If Snape looked confused before, I don't know how confused he is now. I realize how this looks to him. Bellatrix Lestrange just told a kid she'd go to the Yule Ball with them.

Hayes sets off the fireworks. "Run!" He exclaims. No one can see anything because of the fireworks. We stumble towards the door, and somehow make it out. Seeing as Snape hasn't come out yet, the oldest Ravenclaws take this opportunity to put Disillusionment Charms on everyone at lightning speed. We take off towards the library just as Snape manages to free himself from the fireworks.

We make it into the library just as Filch comes around the corner, colliding with Snape. "Filch, contact Azkaban. They have a prisoner missing." Snape says. "Let me go back out." I whisper. "No-" Karyn starts. "Okay." Jayden says. "Who?" Filch asks as Karyn sighs and takes off the Disillusionment Charm on me. "Bellatrix Lestrange. She's in the castle." Snape says grimly. Filch quickly walks off. "We're in big trouble." Terry says. I walk out of the library and face Snape. "Why, Snape, is Harry Potter still alive? You could have killed him anytime in four years! Where were you when the Dark Lord fell?" I snap. Snape pulls out his wand. I quickly try and probe his thoughts, pulling out my wand. I swear under my breath. He's far too good at Occlumency. "Well, well, well. This is disloyalty at its finest! I was, and am the Dark Lord's most faithful servant!" I exclaim. Snape starts to flick his wand, and I quickly block it. "Where's Rudolphus?" Snape asks. I freeze. Crap. We forgot, Bellatrix would not have been the only Death Eater to break out. "Imperio!" I exclaim. Snape suddenly looks calm, and walks off. I dash back into the library. "Karyn, Take out the hair charms, quickly! And the contacts!" I whisper urgently. I feel her tale out the contacts, and notice blonde hair in place of black. She quickly puts a Disillusionment Charm on me. "We need to get everyone back to the common room fast. On my count, run! Now!" I exclaim, hearing tons of quiet footsteps around me.

"If five people go into a store, and only one comes out, what happened?" The knocker asks. "The others are still shopping!" I say, breathless. Everyone follows me into the common, where Disillusionment Charms come off. "How'd you do it?" Michael ask. "How'd you cast a successful Imperius Curse?" "Dunno. Luck, I guess." I shrug. "Everyone get to bed." Jayden orders. Everyone files towards the stairs. It's not until I'm in bed that I realize what happened. Hayes asked me to the Yule Ball. And I said yes.

"How'd it go?" Emily asks, and I see several pairs of eyes looking at me. "Let's just say Azkaban thinks they're missing a prisoner." I say. "That bad?" Fiona asks. "No, it went ok. I got a date to the Yule Ball, and Snape's under my Imperius Curse." I say. "Oh, so pretty well then." Sasha says. I smile, and fall asleep.


	6. The Aftermath

Chapter Six- The Aftermath

"Did you hear? Bellatrix Lestrange was in the castle last night." People are whispering everywhere in the Great Hall. "Slytherin common room. Malfoy swears it was really her!" The rumors are flying around. "Snape got put under Imperius Curse." "And she's going to the Yule Ball with Hayes Fawley!" "Doubt that. Probably just a Slytherin joke." Hayes and I fixed that problem this morning. He agreed to act like "Bellatrix" had dumped him. Twenty detention-owls are delivered to various Ravenclaws. "You're lucky it's only detention." I say. "As far as I know, no one has ever gotten into another house's common room."

Mail comes in. I grab my copy of the Daily Prophet. A big, blaring headline reads Calming Fears: Bellatrix Lestrange was Not at Hogwarts. I read the article

Calming Fears: Bellatrix Lestrange was Not at Hogwarts

Slytherins claiming they saw the imprisoned Death Eater last night in their common room.

Rumors have been flying as to whether or not the emergency owl to the Ministry of Magic last night concerning Bellatrix Lestrange was true, or not. For those who don't know, last night, the Ministry of Magic was informed by Hogwarts that Bellatrix Lestrange had been spotted in the Slytherin common room by several Slytherins. They claim that she and several Ravenclaws were in their common room. They say that a Ravenclaw then set off fireworks, and the group escaped. Severus Snape was later found with an Imperius Curse on him.

The Ministry of Magic was quick to confirm that these rumors were, in fact, false. "We believe it was actually a student in disguise." A Ministry spokesman said. Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore says that they will look into this matter in depth.

"Great. I'm going to be in huge trouble." I think. And it's not just because I acted like Bellatrix. I cast an Unforgivable Curse. I walk out to Quidditch Practice. Even though there's no Quidditch season this year, Roger wants the team to keep up their skills. I'm a Chaser.

Roger greets us halfway out. "Practice is cancelled." He says hotly. "Why?" I ask. "In spite of the Ministry confirming Bellatrix was still in Azkaban, they still want to conduct a search. Looks like your little scheme worked too well." He says. "Dumbledore's just said everyone's to be back inside their dormitories in ten minutes."

Ministry officials come into my shared dormitory and start going through our stuff about an hour later. One of the, asks Emily, Fiona, Luna, Sasha, and I questions. "What do you know about the incident last night?" She asks, looking at Luna, who stares back dreamily. "I suspect Nargles are behind it." Luna says. "Okay..." The Ministry lady looks put off as she turns to Emily. "That Ravenclaw was totally awesome and we crashed a party." Emily says rudely. "You crashed a party?" The lady raises her eyebrows. "Ravenclaw. I didn't go. Who would be stupid enough to walk into a room full of drunk Slytherins?" Emily snaps. The lady seems off put, and walks out.


	7. The Yule Ball

Chapter Seven- The Yule Ball

"How's your clue coming?" Sasha asks. "No good. No good at all." I admit. "Got any ideas?" She asks. "No. You?" I say. "Try putting it underwater?" Sasha suggests. I shrug. "Worth a shot." Emily dashes up. "Carina, I've been looking all over for you!" "What is it?" I ask. "How could you forget? Come on, we've only got an hour to get you ready!" She drags me off to the dormitory. "What exactly am I getting ready for?" I ask, confused. "The Yule Ball! How did you forget?" Emily exclaims, handing me my dress robes. I can't believe I forgot. The Yule Ball is tonight.

I change into my robes as Emily fixes my hair into a flowing braid. I put on the diamond earring borrowed from Mum. Fiona dashes in. "Emily, is she ready? Hayes's waiting! Woah- you look perfect." She exclaims. It's true. The dark blue robes go down to my ankles, with jewels around the neckline. White silk gloves go up to my elbows, and I'm wearing white heels. "Come on!" Emily urges me forward.

"You look beautiful." Hayes says. "Yeah. You do." Terry says grudgingly. He's still mad at me. "Picture time!" Victoria says, pulling out a camera and snapping a picture. "I'll develop it to move later." She promises. "Thank you." I say. "Have fun!" Emily says. "Thanks, Em." I reply.

The feast before the Yule Ball is quite boring, until I notice who Viktor Krum is sitting next to. Krum's date to the Yule Ball is none other than the Mudblood Hermione Granger, who is looking absolutely stunning. Fleur brough Roger, and Harry brought Parvarti Patil. After the long feast, the actual ball portion begins.

The enchanted icicles glitter in the moonlight of the enchanted ceiling. "It's all so beautiful." I say. "Yeah." Hayes agrees. "I wish I could freeze life here, and live in this moment forever. Not have to worry about the Triwizard Tournament, and everything else." I sigh. "Everything else?" Hayes raises his eyebrows questioningly. "You know what I mean. I can tell." I say darkly, quickly scanning his thoughts. Hayes drops it.

"Do you want to dance?" He asks. "I'm no good." I object. "I don't believe it." Hayes says. "It's true! Mum tried to teach me when I was five. It went terribly!" I protest doubtfully. Hayes looks at me meaningfully. "Oh, fine. I'm much better now." I admit. He smiles, and pulls me across the Great Hall to dance, running into Draco and Pansy Parkinson. "Thought a Pureblood like yourself could do better, Fawley." Draco sneers. I feel my face burn. It's been three years, and both my father and Draco still think I'm a filthy blood traitor just for being a Ravenclaw. "Just because we're Ravenclaws doesn't mean we've become blood traitors!" I exclaim defensively. "Yeah, because a proper Pureblood takes Muggle Studies." Draco rolls his eyes. "Ravenclaws are naturally curious." Hayes offers. Draco takes this as a weak argument. "And planning with Muggleborns?" He asks, leaning in to whisper. "I know it was you disguised as Aunt Bella." "How would you know? You were drunk!" I whisper back. "Because Aunt Bella is tall, and your extremely short. It doesn't take a genius." He says.

"Have you heard from Father lately?" Draco asks, a smirk on his face. "Come on. He's only trying to get in your head." Hayes says, giving me an idea. Draco spots the look on my face and pales. I quickly go into his mind and place several pictures of ferrets in his train of thought. "Yeah, let's go." I say smirking. Draco's face is extremely irritated as I turn around.

"What's his problem?" Hayes asks. I sigh. "He's just jealous my dress robes cost more than his. I think it's more that Mum still speaks to me." I say. "What do you mean? I know you and your father haven't written for years, but..." He asks. "Father and I haven't spoken since The day I was Sorted into Ravenclaw. Draco and I, we used to get along, but now, well, you just saw what happened. Mum's really the only one who still cares." I explain. "Blimey, Carina! I mean, I knew you had family issues, but..." Hayes exclaims. "Maybe one day I'll have the chance to prove I'm not a blood traitor." I sigh. "I think all of us will have our chance soon." Hayes says ominously. "Yeah. It's what I've been waiting for." I say.

Hayes and I drop conversation for a while and simply dance. After about an hour, I suggest we go look at the ice sculptures, which glisten beautifully. "I didn't think Hogwarts could get any more perfect." I breath. "Maybe this will." Hayes say, and kisses me on the lips. I look up. "Perfect." I say, and we kiss again.

A camera flashes. "Make sure that goes in the Daily Prophet." Says a horribly familiar voice. Rita Skeeter walks up with a cameraman. "I think it just got a little crowded out here." I snap, and Hayes and I start walking back inside. "Carina, how close do you think you are to solving the golden egg clue?" Rita asks, catching up. "Is it hard? Confusing? Simple? Details, details!" "Go away, I saw what you did with the last article!" I say. "Are you stressed out, or more confident going forward after the first task?" She drones on. "I haven't started on the clue at all, okay? Come on, Hayes." I snap, speeding off, which is hard in heels.


	8. The Egg Clue

Chapter Eight- The Egg Clue

Two days later, I decide to try out Sasha's underwater idea. Sasha's sister, Ponia, catches me on my way out of the common room. "Did you figure out the clue yet?" She asks. "No. Sasha suggested I open the egg underwater, so that's what I'm going to try now." I say. "Why don't you use the prefects bathroom?" She suggests. "Password's 'pine fresh'" she quickly tells me how to get there. "Thanks." I say and hurry off.

The prefects bathroom is huge! The giant bathtub has about a hundred different taps with all sorts of water coming out, different colors, different soaps, different scents. I fill the tub up with a bluish green water and thick foamy stuff, get in, take a deep breath, and dive underwater with the egg. I click the latch open, instinctively recoiling from what I thought would be a terrible shrieking. Instead, pretty voices are singing a song.

Come seek us where our voices sound

We cannot sing above the ground

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss

An hour long you'll have to look

And to recover what we took

But past an hour, the prospect's black

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back

I listen to the song three, or four more times, then get out of the tub, grab a piece of parchment out of my bag, and write down the clue. Once I'm back in the common room, I grab out my sheet of parchment and make some notes. We cannot sing above the ground. That must mean underwater, or underground. I know there are secret passages in and out of the school, but I doubt anyone lives there, so it must be underwater. The part about taking something is obvious, but the question is, who stole the thing? And what did they take? I decide to write to Mum and ask about creatures that live in the Black Lake. She must know some of them.

Mum-

I've been working on the clue to the second task, and I was wondering what kind of creatures are in the Black Lake. I think the second task takes places there.

Also, thank you for the dress robes. They were absolutely perfect.

Carina

I send off the letter and start to think about things that I will miss. The list is empty, as anything I lost, I could replace. Then an idea comes to me. What if the thing is really a person? I can't replace people. They can't come back. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back. I can replace possessions. They'll come back eventually.

I start work on that list, which turns out to be short, consisting of only a few select people who I would miss the most: Emily, Sasha, Fiona. Hayes, and Mum. I eliminate Hayes. I've gone on without him for my whole life. That leaves four people. I take out Fiona and Sasha. They're my friends, but we're not as close as I am with Emily. I'm left with a dreadful feeling in my stomach. If I can't figure out how to stay underwater for an hour, I'll either lose my best friend, or my mother.


	9. Asking For Help

Chapter Nine- Asking for Help

The next day, a response comes from Mum. I bring it back to the Ravenclaw common room before opening it.

Carina-

I only know of a few. I'm sure you've heard of the giant squid, it does exist. I've heard there are mermaids in the lake, but I don't know for certain. If the second task is in the lake, be careful. There are reasons no one swims in there often. In the meantime, tell me everything.

Mum

Mermaids! Of course! I think I remember that mermaids can only sing underwater from a book I read a while ago. I grab Mum's letter and dash down to the library. Madam Pince looks outraged at how fast I run in. "What are you looking for?" She asks suspiciously. "Mermaids. Anything about them." I gasp. Madam Pince directs me to a shelf, which I grab several books off of, sit at a table and begin flipping through the pages until I come across a page titled Mermaid Voices.

"The mermaid has a particularly beautiful voice underwater. If a mermaid was to speak above water, the sound would be screechy and highly unpleasant to listen to." I read. This settles it. The mermaids are going to steal someone from me, and I have to get them back in under an hour. I only have the slight problem of staying underwater for an hour.

After dinner, I head up to the Owlery with my letter to Mum, then head down to the dungeons to ask Snape about something. I knock on the door to his office. "What is it?" He calls through the door. "I have a quick question, sir." I say. His robe sweeps through the door as he opens it slightly. "Well?" Snape asks. "Are there any Potions that allow you to breathe underwater?" I ask. "Thinking of going swimming in the lake?" He asks suspiciously. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking. I need to be underwater for an hour. It's kind of important." I say. "Even if I told you, there is no possible way you could brew a potion of that skill level with your mediocre skills." Snape closes the door. "So, you're saying there are some?" I call. When no answer comes, I sigh and walk off in a bad mood.

Then, an idea comes to me. Who else do I know that's taking N.E.W.T. Level Potions? I could just ask them! Sadly, I'm not exactly on good terms with the five Ravenclaws taking N.E.W.T. Potions, so that's out. Maybe there's a charm I could use. I decide that's my only option so far, and head to Flitwick's office.

"Professor? Can I ask you something?" I ask when Flitwick opens the door. "Of course!" He squeaks. "Are there any charms that allow you to breathe underwater? Fairly easy ones?" I ask. "There are Bubble Head Charms. Quite useful, quite useful, indeed." Flitwick muses. "What does a Bubble Head Charm do?" I say. "Bubble Head Charms supply you with a fresh supply of clean oxygen, whether you're above water, or underwater." Flitwick explains. "How do you perform a Bubble Head Charm?" I ask. Flitwick gives me a quick run-down. They seem easy enough. "Thanks for the help!" I say, and leave his office. I've got the second task covered.


	10. The Black Lake

Chapter Ten- The Black Lake

"When the cannon goes off, the champions are to dive into the lake and retrieve what has been stolen from them. They will have exactly one hour to return." Ludo Bagman explains the second task to the audience. I hear a cannon go off, and quickly perform a Bubble Head Charm on myself.

The water is freezing as it hits my leg. How do they expect us to swim in this? I start swimming towards the bottom, thinking that to be the location of the mermaids, when I hear singing in the distance. "Come seek us where our voices sound." I follow the mermaid song to what looks like an underwater village. Tied to a statue, looking like they're asleep, are four people. I recognize Harry Potter swimming next to Ron Weasley, trying to free him. Next to Ron is Gabrielle Delacour, Hermione Granger, and my best friend, Emily Pearl.

"Diffindo!" I say, but only a jet of water burst out of my wand. Harry holds up a rock, and points to the lake bottom. "Help me free them all." He tries to say, bubbles flying from his mouth. I quickly grab a rock, flans shake my head. "Viktor and Fleur will be here." I try and say before swimming up to the surface with Emily. "And our first champion to return is Carina Malfoy,only a minute outside of the one hour time limit!" Ludo Bagman calls.

Emily and I swim to shore, where Madam Pomfrey wraps us both up in towels. A minute out of the time? I can see Fleur sitting in a tent, looking extremely nervous. "She had to quit early." Madam Pomfrey says, seeing my questioning gaze.

A few minutes later, a badly Transfigured Viktor Krum emerges from the lake carrying Hermione. Madam Pomfrey quickly Transfigures him back to normal. "Where's Harry?" I ask Hermione, not particularly enjoying talking to a Mudblood. She shrugs. "I don't remember anything from last night until waking up about two minutes ago." Viktor Krum pulls her aside.

Finally, Harry swims up, carrying both Ron and Gabrielle. "And our last champion to return is Harry Potter, a half hour outside the time limit, with both Ron Weasley and Gabrielle Delacour." Mr. Bagman announces. I spot Dumbledore speaking in Mermish to the mermaid chieftess as the judges confer to figure out out scores.

After what feels like a lifetime, Ludo Bagman comes back to tell us the scores. "The mermaid chieftess has informed us of Harry Potter's courage and determination to save not only his own hostage, but all of the hostages as well. They have also informed us he was the first to reach the hostages. Pranking into consideration that Ms. Malfoy was the first to return, the judges have decided that these two champions will tie for first place, with Viktor Krum in second, and Ms. Delacour in third." He announces. "The third task will take place on June 24th. The champions will be informed of the nature of the third task exactly one month beforehand." He finishes.


	11. Mazes and Allies

Chapter Eleven- Mazes and Allies

On May 24th, I meet the other champions and Ludo Bagman in the entrance hall. "Good, you're here!" Bagman says pleasantly. "Come along." He beckons for us to follow him.

Harry and Krum take the lead behind Bagman, whereas Fleur and I fall behind. We follow Bagman down to the Quidditch pitch, where wizards are growing hedges. "Don't worry, you'll get your Quidditch field back as soon as the third task is over." Bagman chuckles, seeing the looks on Harry and I's faces.

"What is it?" I ask. "It's a maze. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. For the third task, you will be required to navigate the maze. The first champion to touch the cup wins fifty points." Bagman explains. "In other words, they win the tournament." I say. "Not necessarily, but most likely. Now, the maze is filled with all sorts of obstacles. I suggest you keep aware while navigating the maze." He finishes, letting us go back up to the castle.

"Harry, may I have a vord?" Krum asks, pulling Harry aside. Fleur and I walk on for a bit in silence. About halfway back to the castle, Fleur stops me. "I was wondering if you would like to be allies for the third task." She asks. "You mean, work together to find the cup?" I ask. "Maybe just for a little bit." Fleur says. "You are young. I would like to offer help." "Sure." I say, and just like that, I have an ally.

Mum-

The third task seems to be fairly simple. I shouldn't have a problem with it. Our task is to navigate a maze with the Triwizard Cup at the center. The only complication is that the maze is filled with obstacles, and probably a few creatures. Now, I wish I had taken Care of Magical Creatures. Luckily, Fleur and I have agreed to work together for a bit.

Carina

In her last letter, Mum told me to tell her when we found out what the third task is, so I send her a letter informing her of my alliance with Fleur. Within a day, I get a response back.

Carina-

Be extremely careful who you choose as an ally, though I'm glad you have one. From what you told me, she seems to be genuine about this request. Don't underestimate the task before you start it. There will probably be kinds of magic you have never seen in the maze. I suggest practicing defensive spells. Talk to Flitwick or Moody.

Mum

I decide reading my course books should be enough, and spend the next few weeks devouring any book I can get my hands on. Fleur and I sometimes swap ideas or spells. She actually seems like a good ally. Everywhere else in the school, investigations are going on concerning Barty Crouch's death. I find the third task approaches quickly.


	12. The Third Task

Chapter Twelve - The Third Task

It's the afternoon of the third task. All the champions are summonses early by Ludo Bagman, who explains that the champions' families are invited to watch the third task. I start to leave, when he asks me why. "No one will come from my family." I say. It's too dangerous, if I heard correctly at the beginning of the year. "I doubt that will happen." He says, letting us into an empty classroom where our families are gathered.

The first thing I can tell is the icy atmosphere in the room. In the back, the Krum and Delacour families stand, clearly feeling the animosity in the room. On the right, the Weasley family stands, speaking warmly to Harry. On the left, my mother stands, beckoning me over, and pulling me into a hug. "You came." I say, surprised. "Why wouldn't I?" She asks. "I just didn't think anyone would come." I respond. "Of course I would come." Mum says. "Father wouldn't." I say, discouraged. "Yes, well, that is something that cannot be helped." She responds.

"Do you think you're ready for this?" Mum asks, concerned. I nod. "I think so. I've read pretty much every defensive spell book in the library." "Reading and doing are two different things, Carina." She responds. "I know how to Disarm and Stun well, that should be enough, right?" I say. "Hopefully." Mum says.

An hour later, the other champions and I are standing outside the entrance to the maze. "I'll meet you just inside the maze." I whisper to Fleur. She nods agreement. "Ms. Malfoy and Mr. Potter will enter the maze first, followed by Mr. Krum, and finally, Ms. Delacour. Champions, come here." Dumbledore orders. We huddle around him. "Now, I want to warn you. People have lost themselves in the maze. Be very careful." He warns us. A cannon goes off and Harry and I disappear into the maze. I wait up for Fleur. "Which way? Left or right?" I ask. "Left." Fleur guesses. The maze closes behind us.

I hear a crunching noise up ahead. "Wait." I say. "What is that?" The next thing I hear is a scream of surprise from Fleur. I turn around and see that she has been Stunned. I quickly send up red sparks, and run.

I turn several corners, and run straight into my father. "You are a disappointment to every proper Pureblood in existence." He drawls. "It's just a boggart." Harry calls. "Riddikulus!" I shout, quickly running off away from Harry.

The next obstacle I face is a pool of water. Seems easy enough, so I step in and begin to swim around. Something grabs my leg. I turn and shoot a Disarming Spell at the grindylow, which falls off my leg as I reach the other side.

A sphinx blocks my path before I see what's beyond it. Viktor Krum points his wand at me out of the corner of my eye. I turn to him just in time to dodge the Cruciatus Curse he directs at me. I let out a cry of alarm. "Stupefy!" I hear Harry shout behind me. "Thanks. That's the second time you've saved my life today." I say. "Don't mention it." he says, both of us turning to the Sphinx.

"Only one at a time." It says. "You go first." I tell Harry. "I'm going to find another way around." I walk off before he can argue, trying to stay as close to the center as possible. After about five minutes, I come across a space leading to the Triwizard Cup.

It takes me a second to realize I was walking in a circle. In that second, the Sphinx blocks the path again. "Go away!" I snap at it. "In order to pass, you must first answer my riddle. If you don't, I attack." The Sphinx says. "Fine." I say, ready to get this done with.

"First think of the person who lives in disguise

Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies

Now tell me what always the last thing to mend

The middle of the middle and the end of the end

And finally give me the sound often heard

During a search for a hard to find word

Now string them together and answer me this

What is a creature you'd be unwilling to kiss"

I quickly write down the riddle in the dirt with my wand. What's at the end of the end? Well, logically it must be the end, so I write down that three times and try to find a common thread besides the words. They all have a d at the end. Oh! That makes sense now. I scratch out those two line.

A person who lives in disguise. A spy, perhaps? I write down spy and d next to each other. Sound often heard. I quickly run through the sound I make when I'm confused in my head, adding spyd in front of it. "Spider! The answer is spider!" I exclaim. "Correct." The Sphinx says, moving to let me pass.

I see jets of light ahead, hitting a giant spider. Harry is already battling it, and by the looks of things, losing miserably. "Petrificus Totalus!" I say. The spell hits the spider on side, and he freezes. Harry looks up. "Thanks." He says. I ignore him and run towards the Triwizard Cup. Harry follows close behind me. "Take it." He says. I pause. "You deserve it. You saved my life, and told me about the dragons." I say. "And you just saved my life. We're even now." Harry counters. "I don't need the money." I say. "Neither do I. Let's grab it together. Either way is a Hogwarts victory." Harry says. I nod in agreement. Both of our hands grab the sides of the Cup, and suddenly, I'm standing somewhere I don't recognize.


	13. The Rise of the Dark Lord

**Warning: Chapter is on upper side of K+ Rating, possibly T for violence**

Chapter Thirteen- The Rise of The Dark Lord

"Harry, what is this place?" I ask. Harry steps over and looks at a stone. "We need to get out of here." He says urgently, getting up from the stone, which I can now see is a headstone. A cauldron in front of the stone lights on fire, and Harry cries out in pain. "What is it?" I whisper. A man emerges from a shack, carrying a bundle.

"Who are you? What do you want?" I say nervously, pointing my wand at the man. "Bind them up." A high voice orders. "Expelliarmus!" I say, but the man blocks it. He flicks his wand at Harry and I. Both of us are instantly bound up in ropes. "Harry, what's going on?" I whisper, as the man drops the bundle into the cauldron.

"Bone of a father, forcefully taken." The man places a bone into the cauldron. "Harry, what's happening?" I whisper again, blocking out the last half of the man's sentence. "Flesh of a servant willingly given." The man says, raising a knife. I close my eyes tight, and hear his shriek of pain. When I open them again, I see that he has cut off his arm. "Who are you?" I ask. "Blood of an enemy, unwillingly taken." The man says. "Don't forget to use the girl's blood! And don't mix them, Wormtail." The high, cold voice says. The man, Wormtail, cuts into Harry's skin with a knife, placing a drop of his blood in a vial. He tosses the knife aside. "Sectumsempra." He says, waving his wand at me.

I scream in pain, as blood flows from a long gash in my left leg. Wormtail pulls out a second vial, and places some of my blood into that. He then walks over to the cauldron and dumps both vials into it. "The Dark Lord shall rise again." He exclaims. I suddenly realize what he's doing. He's bringing back He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! I feel a rush of both fear and excitement run through me. This is the man my father served. This is my chance to join him. "He tried to kill you." Says a little voice in the back of my head. I can't help but listen to it.

Meanwhile, the Dark Lord has risen out of the cauldron. "My robes, Wormtail." He says, pulling out a wand from the folds of his robes. "Hold out your arm." He commands. When Wormtail holds out the arm he cut off, Voldemort snaps, "The other arm." Wormtail immediately switches arms. Voldemort pulls back his sleeve, and touches his wand to a mark on his arm.

"Let's see how many of them will return." Voldemort murmurs, more to himself than us. "Harry, watch carefully, for this will be your last sight, standing on the bones of my filthy Muggle father." He say. "You're father was a Muggle! I thought you were Pureblood!" I exclaim in disbelief. Some more of my desire to follow Voldemort drops. "My mother was Pureblood. I despise my father." He hisses.

People in black cloaks are Apparating to various places around the graveyard, forming a circle around Voldemort. I spot two spaces big enough for one person each, and one space big enough for two. "Welcome. Thirteen years it's been, and not one of you friend to find me." Voldemort begins. "Not you, Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair. Not you, Nott, Avery. Not even you, Lucius." Voldemort accuses, unmasking each Death Eater.

"One too frightened to return, and one whom I believe has left me forever. They will be killed, of course. The Lestranges, they went to Azkaban for me. When Azkaban has broken open, they will be rewarded." Voldemort says. "My Lord, we believed you dead. If there were signs, whispers, we would have come running." My father says. "There were signs, my slippery, friend, and more than just whispers." Voldemort accuses him. "And running from the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup? Yes, I know all about that." Voldemort turns to Harry and I. "They have called this boy my downfall. You all know that on the night I lost my body,I tried to kill him. His mother died to save him, giving him protection I could never have foreseen. I could not touch him. But no matter, this is old magic. I can touch him now." Voldemort hisses, pressing a long finger to Harry's scar.

"Wormtail, untie them both. I wish to duel both of them before I kill them." Voldemort orders. Wormtail walks over to us, and cuts away the ropes. I try and stand up, but my leg has lost too much blood. I collapse on the ground, exhausted. "Oh, dear. Don't you know how to duel, Carina? Stand!" Voldemort commands, trying to cast an Imperius Curse on me, but I quickly throw it off, trying to get into his mind. "That won't work." Voldemort jeers. "Oh, yes, I know all about your abilities." He adds, seeing the look on my face. "Crucio!" I scream as pain overtakes me. Voldemort quickly loses interest in me, and turns to Harry. "I presume you know how to duel. First we bow." When Harry doesn't bow, he says, "Come, now. Dumbledore would want us to complete pleasantries before I kill you. Bow!" Harry as well throw off the Imperius Curse, but doesn't manage to dodge the Cruciatus Curse.

"Oh that hurt didn't it? Would you like some more?" Voldemort says. Harry tries to fight a second Imperius Curse. "I won't!" He yells, and runs behind the headstone. "Come out! I want to look you in the eye when I kill you!" Voldemort shrieks. Harry comes out from behind the headstone with a determined look on his face. "Expelliarmus!" He yells at the same time as Voldemort yells "Avada Kedavra!" The jets of light hit in the middle, and a golden thread erupts and surround Harry and Voldemort, raising them into the air. "Harry, what's going on?" I say weakly, trying to use the nearest headstone to stand up and get back to the cup. The Death Eaters are yelling, asking Voldemort for instructions. "Do nothing! Do nothing unless I tell you!" Voldemort yells.

I'm almost to the cup when silvery figures appear. I can't hear what they're saying, but suddenly, the light disappears, and Harry falls to the ground. "Harry!" I exclaim, forgetting once again that we are normally enemies. Harry makes a mad dash towards me and the cup, grabbing us both. I feel myself whisked away from the graveyard with Harry.

The cheers of the audience quickly turns to screams of horror. Dumbledore dashes over to us. "He's back. Voldemort's back!" Harry exclaims. The last thing I remember is my mother rushing up before I pass out.


	14. The Order of the Phoenix

Chapter Fourteen- The Order of the Phoenix

I wake a few hours later in the hospital wing, my mother right next to me. "What happened?" I murmur weakly. "Is Harry ok?" I notice the Weasleys across the room. "Shhh, don't try and talk." Mum says. I try to sit up in protest, and notice the bandages wrapped around my leg. "What happened?" I ask again. "If you refuse to read the signs, Cornelius, then I am not responsible for whatever happens next!" Dumbledore says from across the room, with a finality in his tone. "We'll talk later." Mum promises.

Madam Pomfrey walks over to us, seeing I'm awake, with a potion in her hand. "Here, drink this." She says, handing over the potion. I drink some of it. Mum stands up. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I must go." She says, turning to leave.

"What happened?" I ask Ginny Weasley, who wanders over to me tentatively. She explains something about Moody actually being a Death Eater in disguise. "You might want to ask Dumbledore." She shrugs. Dumbledore walks over to me, and re-explains everything in a less confusing way. "Thank you." I say, the weight of everything that has happened settling over me as Dumbledore walks away. Madam Pomfrey hands me another potion. "You need sleep." She says. I drink it and fall asleep.

Harry is in the next bed over when I wake. "Thanks for the help." I say. Harry nods in acknowledgement. "Did your father know you were there?" Harry asks. "I don't see how he couldn't have. Some family, huh?" I sigh. "Yeah, I can imagine." Harry says. I look at him. "You know, growing up, I was always taught that I was royalty because I was both a Malfoy and a Pureblood. I was always told that half bloods and Muggleborns were inferior. That Voldemort was the good guy. My father and I haven't so much as said hello since I was sorted into Ravenclaw." I say. "And just now, the man I thought was the good guy tried to kill me."

Harry doesn't seem to know what to say, so I continue on. "And, I guess, what I'm trying to say, is that, I've come to the conclusion that, well, maybe Muggleborns and half bloods aren't that bad. I've always admired how smart Hermione is, to be honest." I confess. "Glad you decide that." Harry says. Then his look turn questioning. "What did Voldemort mean, your abilities?" He asks. "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you." I say. "He'll find out sooner or later." Dumbledore says, walking into the room. "You know?" I say, surprised. Dumbledore looks amused. "Yes, of course. I guessed."

I sigh. "I have the ability to read other people's thought, and something put thoughts into their minds." I say. Harry does a double take. Dumbledore takes his silence to speak. "I believe your abilities could go beyond that. I could help you reach their full potential." Dumbledore offers. I take a deep breath. "Would you?" I say, excitedly. "Of course. And I think I have an offer that might interest you. Harry, would you leave us for a bit? And don't tell anyone about this conversation except, perhaps, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley." He says. Harry nods and walks out.

"I heard everything you said, and I have an offer. An offer to help us fight back against Voldemort." Dumbledore says. I draw a sharp breath. "Would you like to help?" He asks. "Voldemort's killed too many people. I-I don't want that happening again, but the Death Eaters will kill me!" I exclaim. "I have a place where you could stay. It doesn't take a good Occlumens to see you want to move away from home." Dumbledore says. He's right, too. "I'd like to help." I say. "What do you need me for?"

"I'd like you to join the Order of the Phoenix. You could use your abilities freely there." Dumbledore offers. I take a deep breath. This is something I have to do, especially after what has happened over the course of the day. "The Death Eaters want you for your abilities. They want to use them to kill." Dumbledore adds. "I'll join you. I want to fight back." I say determinedly.

Dumbledore smiles. "Good. Now, you must not say a word of this to anyone. When the Hogwarts Express leaves, I'd like you to stay here. After everyone is gone, I'll take you to our headquarters, which by the way, is Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. I think there's someone you'll want to meet there. Consider this your induction into the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore says, turns to leave. "Professor? What about my mum? She'll be worried." I ask. Dumbledore looks at me and smiles. "I already have it taken care of."

I try and stand up, just as Madam Pomfrey comes in. "Don't try that, dear!" She exclaims. "Why not?" I ask, confused and standing. She relaxes. "I wasn't sure how well it would hold you up." I try and walk, but find my left leg drags slightly behind. Madam Pomfrey sighs. "That's what I was afraid of. Professor Snape was able to heal your leg fairly quickly, but Dark Magic leaves permanent injuries." "You mean, my leg will always have a slight limp?" I ask, horrified. "It shouldn't affect you too much." Madam Pomfrey says. "Can I go?" I ask numbly. Madam Pomfrey hesitates, then says, "As long as you come back tonight." I nod and walk out.


	15. Friends

Chapter Fifteen- Friends

I wander up to the Ravenclaw Tower, finding my leg slightly odd. "What goes forward, but never backwards?" The knocker asks. "I don't care." I say. I've had enough of riddles. "What goes forward, but never backwards?" It insists. "Time." I sigh, guessing. "Correct." It says, and opens up for me.

I walk into a solemn common room. My friends stand up when they see me. "Is it true? Is the Dark Lord back?" Hayes asks first. "Yes. And his name is Voldemort." I say. Hayes flinches at the name, as do many in the room. "Don't say the name." He hisses. "I'll say it if I want." I retort, and shove past him. I don't really want to talk to anyone right now.

A few minutes later, Emily, Fiona, and Sasha come up. "What happened?" Sasha asks. I look up from my books. "I don't want to talk about it." I say. "Come on, please? We're your best friends!" Fiona says. "I don't" I say finally. "Want to talk about it."

"Ok, sheesh, we get it, but at least come down to the common room." Emily says. I sigh, and follow her down. "Fine." Everyone seems to ignore me, which suits me perfectly fine. Everyone that is, except Hayes. "How are you?" He asks. "I don't want to talk about it." I say. But Hayes doesn't want to give up. "My mum always said sometimes the best thing to do is talk about it." He says. I get up and walk out of the common room, heading towards my favorite place, the library.

I accidentally bump into Luna, who is drifting the corridor. "Hello." She says dreamily. "Hi, Luna." I respond. "Where are you headed to?" "Oh, I don't know." She responds and wanders off, leaving me alone again. I sigh. Maybe it's time I became better friends with Luna.

The books of the library only offer solitude for a bit before Hayes comes and finds me. "What's up?" He asks. "I've changed my mind." I say. "About what?" Hayes says. "Pureblood values. Seeing you." I respond. "So, that's it? You're just going to turn your back on everything?" He says. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry, but I don't think I want to be with you." I say. Hayes takes a sharp breath. "Fine." He says. "I guess I see you around." He walks out of the library, and just like that, I'm free. No one to worry about. Nothing tying me to my past.

 **And that's it! The next chapter of Carina's life will be published under the title CM- Year Four**


End file.
